diff --git a/fixtures/ssr/server/render.js b/fixtures/ssr/server/render.js
index 9857a8a83dcfa..ae30e622174cb 100644
--- a/fixtures/ssr/server/render.js
+++ b/fixtures/ssr/server/render.js
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ export default function render(url, res) {
       res.setHeader('Content-type', 'text/html');
       pipe(res);
     },
+    onErrorShell(x) {
+      // Something errored before we could complete the shell so we emit an alternative shell.
+      res.statusCode = 500;
+      res.send('<!doctype><p>Error</p>');
+    },
     onError(x) {
       didError = true;
       console.error(x);
diff --git a/fixtures/ssr2/server/render.js b/fixtures/ssr2/server/render.js
index fa91f763f2902..ccd12af0d3638 100644
--- a/fixtures/ssr2/server/render.js
+++ b/fixtures/ssr2/server/render.js
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ module.exports = function render(url, res) {
         res.setHeader('Content-type', 'text/html');
         pipe(res);
       },
+      onErrorShell(x) {
+        // Something errored before we could complete the shell so we emit an alternative shell.
+        res.statusCode = 500;
+        res.send('<!doctype><p>Error</p>');
+      },
       onError(x) {
         didError = true;
         console.error(x);